There’s a week and a half left of classes.

I have three finals, two papers, and one draft of my senior thesis keeping me from my winter break. Not a walk in the park, but also not an all time high as far finals week frenzies go.  But yet, here I sit, far too enamored in this week’s episode of What Not to Wear to even think about getting any of this work done.

This is not stuff worth procrastinating. It requires no freak outs, no massive amounts of brain power. These papers are not worth the all-nighters they will result in if I leave the researching and the writing until the last minute. They are not worth the caffeine induced frenzy I will face the morning after just to get through classes. I should focus, and buckle down, and power through so that I can be done with it. But yet, here I sit, watching Stacy London argue for wedges over flip flops.

It’s time to face the facts: I have senioritis.

I remember the symptoms from the last trimester of senior year in high school. Lack of motivation. An unwillingness to go to class. The desire to sleep through every single one of my professor’s well intentioned lectures. Reading for classes is a nuisance. Getting up in time for class is a struggle. I have no desire to accomplish anything ever…

Okay, so maybe most of those symptoms aren’t exactly restricted to senioritis.  But right now, they’re amplified. Procrastination is a part of every student’s life, but lately I’ve made it into an art form. I know that I should do these papers, go to class, finish out the semester, graduate, but right now I’m just having trouble seeing the point of it all.  Because frankly, I really, really don’t want to. With graduation comes responsibility, real life, a weekend that doesn’t include Friday’s off, and days that don’t include time slots for naps and Facebook stalking. So I should embrace the chance to be irresponsible while I can, right? Read More »

Even though being a post-grad hasn’t been an easy ride (biggest understatement of the year), I have plenty of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. So in honor of the holiday and my new “the bowl of stuffing is half full” mentality, here is a list of post-grad things worth celebrating this time of year:

1. Graduation gifts – Luckily when you graduate, people give you gifts and money and things that you need. Even though these gifts are like “Hey, you’re out of college now and you’re kinda on your own so here is some luggage,” they make transitioning very happy.

2. I’m cafeteria free – Albeit eating in a dining hall and having a meal plan is convenient, not having to eat food made for 800 people is a dream. Do you know how amazing it is to eat food that is warm and flavorful? Maybe my alma mater wasn’t too fabulous in the food department (minus the Swedish meatballs … I lived for those), so I’m alone on this one, but I’ll take making myself food any day over dining hall slop.

3. I can wear my underwear whenever I want – Seriously, every time I would just want to veg out in my dorm room and just comfortably enjoy being in my underwear (with a bag of chips), someone would knock. (Editor’s Note: Thank god they didn’t just walk in. Awkward!) And you know, then you have to get up, put on pants, and open the door. Not now. I can wear my underwear all day and no one bothers me. Hooray!

4. No drama – Getting away from college has been a blessing. No gossip. No drama. Just memories and keeping-in-touch with those I want to (and staying far, far away from those I don’t).  I don’t have to deal with classroom politics, and I don’t have to deal with drunken sorority girls elbowing me on dance floors. It’s great being able to step back from the stuff that made me go “Ughh, I’m so over it.”

5. I have a degree– Even though it may not be enough to find the kind of job I want, I’m glad I have my Bachelors and I’m glad I worked my ass off to get it. College went fast, but the knowledge and the subjects that interest me will last a lifetime. No complaints there! Read More »

Okay, so after weeks of whining about personal statement essays and GRE practice tests, I think it’s time to take a step back, and evaluate. The fall semester is almost over and I’m still standing.  And high moments and low moments aside, I think I’ve done a pretty good job of creating a balance between the fun and the functional.

With that in mind, I’m going to do something I’m completely unqualified to do. I’m going to offer you ladies some advice. Well, not so much advice as guidelines. Guide posts? Rules? Err…just keep this stuff in mind as you attempt to make it through your senior year.

Don’t be so focused on the future that you forget about the present.
During your senior year, it’s easy to get swept up in the idea of what comes next. Grad school applications and GREs. Internships and job interviews. Every time you turn around you’ll have to do something else to prepare for next year. And if that’s not stressful enough, everyone will be asking you about it every step of the way. What are your plans for next year? Will you be applying to grad school? Shouldn’t you have decided by now? Over and over again people will be bombarding you from every angle with questions about the future. But every once it a while you just need to remember to block them out and breathe. Sure it’s your last year of college, but you’re still in college. Don’t forget what that means. You’ll never be able to figure out exactly where you’ll be a year from now, so focus on the here and now instead.

Embrace the cliché college experience.
Go to every college hosted event you can, because it’s the last time you’ll ever be able to experience that event as a college student. I don’t have the numbers on this but I’m pretty sure that the current students tailgating in the parking lot during homecoming enjoyed the event a whole lot more than the alumni watching the game. The same goes for the pep rallies and the movie nights and everything else you stopped going to after sophomore year. Give it one more go. Think of it as a warm up for senior week. Read More »

If you Google “Post-Grad,” a lot of articles come up about suffering from depression once you graduate college. And yes, I will say that it can be depressing at times, but really — it’s not so bad. Although the last six months have gone by incredibly fast, I have learned a lot when it comes to adjusting to life outside of college.

So, here’s the ultimate post-grad survival kit (or at least what I’ve figured out over the last six months):

1. Stay Busy – Keep your ass moving at all times. Don’t hang out on the couch day after day, keep busy – whether it’s working a job, interning, or taking pottery classes.  Do anything that will keep you busy. I’ve thrown myself into the LSAT, and trust me, it’s kept me occupied. Who knows how I’ll feel once my LSAT journey is over, but for now … it’s what I do to keep busy. Busy leaves little room to do #2.

2. Don’t reminisce too much – If you do nothing but think about college, you’re going to do nothing but miss college. Avoid this as much as you can. If something comes up in conversation, talk about it, but don’t sit in your room and look at pictures from your sophomore year every night. It’s okay to admit that college was one of the best times of your life, but it’s not okay to let that ‘best time of your life’ define the rest of your life. You should have the attitude that the best is yet to come and college was just a stepping stone. Or yeah, you’ll be depressed like all those articles say. Read More »

I ran out of post it notes.

Now to you this may not seem like a moment worth mentioning, but to me this is a monumental deal. You see, back when I was a freshman, fresh faced and eager, I did things like shopping for school supplies. I bought pens, and paper, highlighters and binders, and, most importantly, I bought post it notes. (I’m an organization freak. For my kind, it’s the little things like multi-colored sticky paper that make life worth living, okay?) But these weren’t just any notes. These were the super stack, a 12 pad pack of multicolored 4X4 sticky notes. I was sure they would last me all four years of college.

That was before I started working on my senior thesis.

Thesis projects require note taking. They require page marking. They require a lot of post its. I printed journal article after journal article, photocopied book after book, stuck notes in chapter after chapter. This summer I finished the blue pad. In the past month alone I went through the purple, and this past week I finished the hot pink pad. My post it notes are no more. Seven months before the end of my college career. (I’m a little heartbroken. Don’t judge.)

That alone would be enough to make me reconsider my commitment to this whole “senior thesis” thing, but I assure you I have plenty more reasons. I started this thing back in May. I picked a topic, and wrote out a proposal. Over the summer I started doing some light research, reread the novels I was working with, and marked the important passages.  It didn’t seem all that bad, but this past summer I didn’t have four other courses to worry about. Now I do. Needless to say, things have gotten a bit more complicated. Read More »

When you’re in college, everyone knows there are the classes you take because you have to and then the classes you take because they’re actually going to help you in life.  Anthropology of Magic?  A major sophomore year mistake.  Unless my letter to Hogwarts got lost in the mail, I’m never going to need to know how to read tea leaves.  Wine and Spirits?  Fun, but again- not exactly functional in the job world.  (That is, unless I’m going to “networking” events where there’s an open bar.)

Unfortunately the classes that actually will help you down the road are few and far between.  Sure math is important and English is pretty essential, but what about:

Intro to Hangovers on the Job
So you went on a weeknight bender and now you’re dealing with the aftereffects.  The real world isn’t like college where you can just curl into the fetal position, skip class, and ride out the storm.  Oh no.  You’ve gotta put on that pencil skirt, slide on those pumps, and look like you’re ready to get sh*t done.  Do you know how to not puke in a board meeting?  Or how about not falling asleep on your keyboard?  Skipping greasy hangover brunch?  This class would open your eyes to all those things and more.

Read More »

Right before I sat down to write this I registered for the GRE. Well, actually, I registered for the GRE, opened a bag of chocolate covered cranberries (Kim Kardashian’s snack of choice), and then sat down to write this. But I digress. This was supposed to be a serious moment. Because registering for the GRE is serious business. At least, it is for me.

You see, the whole “post college plans” thing has always been a bit of a sore subject for me. What I want to do with my life, what I have always wanted to do with my life, is write. I want to write, and read, and edit, and that’s all I’ve ever really been able to come up with. But there’s no set plan for how to make that happen. Pre-Law students take the LSAT and get into law school. Pre-Med students take the MCAT and get into medical school. Business majors have the GMAT. Dentists have the DAT. And the rest of us flounder helplessly trying to either find a job or a rich husband graduate program that works for us.

Currently I’m stuck somewhere between the two. It’s why I’ve held off on registering for the GRE for so long (and why I’ve been contemplating head shots so I can join Patti Stanger’s Millionaire’s Club). I didn’t want to shell out the cash, put in the study time, and commit to the freak out if I wasn’t even going to end up at grad school next year.

But I’ve researched some programs and made some (tentative) plans and decided that even if I don’t end up at grad school next year I still want to take the GRE. I want the option. (I like options.) So I registered.

Which means I actually have to start preparing for it. Read More »

Remember when going back-to-school meant a new box of crayons and a slammin’ new backpack (L.L. Bean. Initialed, obviously)? If you’re headed back to college this fall, no doubt this bit of nostalgia has probably crossed your head at some point or another. For collegians, a new year usually brings with it new housing, and more importantly, returning to the center of your social universe: friends, parties, and never-ending entertainment all a quad’s walk away.

But if you’re filling out your course schedule for the last time and pre-ordering your diploma frame, then back-to-school excitement may be dissolving into denial. It may seem as though the best years of your life are suddenly coming to a close, but there are still several months left before cap-and-gown season. Class of 2011, this one’s for you: follow these tips for a thrilling, guilt-free senior year, and go out with a bang! Read More »

Members of the Class of 2011, I have some good news and some bad new for you.  Which do you want first?  The good?  Okay.  It appears that when you graduate this upcoming May, the job market will be significantly better than it was for your Class of 2010 friends.  In fact, it’s said that employers will be hiring 13.5% more graduates this time around, especially in the Midwest and West.

Congratulations!  This means there’s a good chance you won’t be surfing mom’s couch for the next year and a half looking for work and collecting a “temporary” paycheck from the Tastee Freez.

Don’t forget, though, I said there was bad news, too.  Ready for it?  While it may seem wonderful to graduate college and, within months, start off on a bona fide career path, the truth is you’re really going to miss out on a lot. Yes, as a member of the Class of 2010, I’ve been “real” jobless for over 6 months now and I can say from experience, I’m happy it all turned out this way:

The Post-Grad Internship(s)

While hopping right on the fast track to success is exciting, it really doesn’t offer you time to really consider what you want to do with your life.  A sluggish job market, while limited in employment opportunities, is rife with internships!  It’s like the all-you-can-eat salad bar of career choices.  Don’t like something?  Just say “no, thank you” and pick again!  Even more so than college, internships are the best way to figure out what fields suit you…and which don’t.

Clean Laundry, Warm Meals

When you graduate sans-employment, there’s really only one place to go: Home.  Sure, it’s not that downtown luxury bachelorette pad you had hoped for, but the pink carpet and teddy bear wallpaper are comforting…sorta. And after 4+ years away from mom and pops, they couldn’t be more thrilled than to have you back. And cook for you. When the Class of 2011 is rushing back to their lonely apartments after work, tripping over a mountain of dirty clothes, and throwing a little cereal in a dirty bowl, their unemployed brethren will be taking comfort in Tuesday meat loaf and clean bed sheets.

Solidarity, Sister

So you’ve got a little jobbie.  I bet it’s cutthroat.  I bet everyone is clamoring for that employee of the month spot.  Don’t even try to tell me Patty from accounting wasn’t the one who stole your cinnamon bun out of the fridge yesterday.  She’s a bitch and I hope she choked on it.  Have fun keeping tabs and stressing over who the boss likes more.  You should know, though- unemployed grads march to a different beat.  We sit with our laptops in Starbucks, scanning the online job boards and making pleasant conversation with one another.  There’s no competition, just the security of knowing we’re not alone.

One More Summer Vacation

Those statistics look pretty promising, Class of ’11.  I’d guess you’re going to find work in no time.  Your bad-economy predecessors, however, got to enjoy a full three months (or more!) to sit in denial while they drank frozen, blended beverages.  Being the victim of a recession means you don’t have to don that wool skirt suit in the middle of July.  90 degrees, long sleeves, and high heels?  No thanks, I’ll take my umbrella drink instead.

A Chance to Breathe

That bonus summer vacation isn’t just for sitting poolside with friends.  Once you enter the workforce, the breaks are few and far between.  Soon enough your world will turn into too-short weekends and looking forward to getting sick, just so you can sleep in for the first time in a year.  After you’ve worked your butt off for a diploma, getting a job right off the bat will lose it’s luster when you’re burnt out two months in.  Regardless of what type of economy you graduate into, it is important to set aside a little “you” time before taking on the real world.

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Will this Glee guest star be any good?

Is Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell coming to an end?

Buying your very first sex toy

Best of: British guys playing Americans (video)

Deported student’s letter to Obama

So Lilo is broke…